Shortly after Bill left for work the next morning, fortified by a hot breakfast and a warm kiss, Penelope did the dishes and got ready to go to the police station. She tucked the sock she was working on into her purse, in case she had to wait a while.
She was, however, ushered straight into an interview room. An officer arrived a few moments later, carrying the yarn Penelope had used to tie the escapee’s ankles. It was a tangled mess, but to Penelope’s delight, it was intact. She set to work untangling it as she told Officer Marks all about the excitement of the previous night.
“Do you think you’d recognize the man who tried to snatch your purse if you saw him again?” the officer asked when Penelope finished.
Penelope thought, casting her mind back to the struggle over her purse. She felt again the pull on her arms as she hung on to the strap and her own strength pulling back. There had been a fleeting flash of awareness before she could think of nothing but keeping hold of her purse.
“His face was pale in the darkness. And I think he was about my size, only skinnier. But that’s all.” She shook her head. “I was focused on not letting him have my purse.”
“if it should ever happen again, I would advise you to let a mugger have your purse,” Officer Marks said. “You could have been badly hurt.”
“As I said in my statement,” Penelope said through gritted teeth, “it’s not just any purse. And I didn’t get hurt. And I captured a criminal who was trying to escape.”
Officer Marks looked down at the statement. Penelope saw a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth.
“You did indeed, ma’am,” he replied. Penelope thought she caught a flash of amusement in his eyes when he looked up.
“Thank you for retrieving my yarn all in one piece,” Penelope replied stiffly.
“It was no small feat, the guards told me. The guy kept yelling, ‘Get it off me!’ and he flinched and jerked every time he saw the knitting needles. Serves him right, trying to steal from an old–”
Penelope cleared her throat.
“Uh, nice lady like you,” he finished.
Now that Penelope had her knitting project back, she had one more concern.
“Will my name have to appear in the police blotter in the paper?”
“No, ma’am,” the officer replied. “We don’t publish the names of victims.”
Penelope felt decidedly annoyed at being called a victim. She distinctly remembered being in control of the situation and leaving the escapee somewhat worse for wear when all was said and done. She did not, however, want Bill to know of the previous night’s escapade, so she simply nodded.
“Thank you.”
Agent Donovan arrived while she was signing her statement. Officer Marks relinquished his seat and left, statement in hand. The FBI agent fixed her with a piercing stare and shook his head.
“All I asked you to do was take pictures.”
“And that’s what I did.” She couldn’t see how she could possibly be in trouble, but the look on the agent’s face gave Penelope the uneasy feeling that she was.
“I told you to get a profile, How did you get a full-face shot?”
Penelope eagerly described the disturbance she’d created with the knitting needles.
Agent Donovan sucked in a deep breath and then let it out in a disgruntled sigh.
“I suppose I admire your initiative, but you also called attention to yourself and your picture-taking. You do realize your mugger was part of the gang, don’t you?”
Penelope gaped at him.
“He was willing to settle for your phone, remember? He wanted to get the pictures before you sent them to me.”
“Oh.” Penelope felt a little light-headed as she realized what had been at stake the night before. What might have happened if the escaped inmate hadn’t stepped out of the shadows, telling them to be quiet?
“Your little stunt with the knitting needles tipped them off that we were onto them. We caught them at a roadblock on their way out of town with all their counterfeiting equipment. Your picture will help convict the gang of passing the notes, but it was a close thing. Next time, just do as you’re told. Nothing more.”
Penelope caught her breath and barely even heard “just do as you’re told.” It was the “next time,” sang in her head and made her heart beat faster.